After parting with Leon, Angelica felt much lighter. He wasn’t as bad as I feared. If that was any indication of his character, perhaps His Highness should have Bartfort at his side.
She’d bumped into Leon by happenstance, and he had far exceeded her initial impressions.
I should introduce him to His Highness soon, she decided. His Highness is so eager to enjoy his time here at school that he will surely welcome the opportunity to make another friend. Angelica had made her mind up to meet the prince halfway in hopes of improving their relationship.
Her mind wandered back to the delicious doughnut holes. I’ve enjoyed similar treats numerous times, but for some reason, those doughnut holes were even tastier. I wonder if I’ll get the chance to try them again. She couldn’t forget the joy she’d experienced eating them.
There’d been problem after problem recently, leaving Angelica with a perpetual headache, but her brief encounter with Leon had been something of a reprieve. She’d forgotten all about her troubles.
I told him I would repay him. Perhaps I should send sweets. Or would something else be better? As she inwardly debated an appropriate gift, she smiled without realizing it.
That was, until the person she least wanted to see crossed her path. The other girl was walking past, head lowered, and hadn’t even noticed Angelica.
The smile vanished from Angelica’s face. As the girl—Olivia—was about to brush by, she snapped, “It seems His Highness took quite a liking to you, scholarship student.”
“Huh?” Olivia jerked her head up, stunned. As she registered Angelica, the blood drained from her face. Her mouth flapped wordlessly, as if she wanted to say something but couldn’t bring herself to speak.
Angelica’s brow furrowed. “You’ve evidently grown close to Jilk and the prince’s other friends as well. You know, their fiancées are concerned that they’re a little too obsessed with you.”
“No, it’s not what you… I mean, um…!” Panicked, Olivia tried to protest her innocence.
To Angelica, her excuses fell flat. She hated even looking at Olivia. It irked her further that she’d been in such a cheery mood seconds earlier, only for that to be ruined as this girl showed up.
“I warned you, but you ignored me,” she said to Olivia. “Don’t forget that.”
What could she possibly be thinking, attempting to seduce His Highness when he’s set to inherit the throne someday? Even if they could be together, she’d only be invited to the palace as a concubine. Then all that would await her is a power struggle. She’s a commoner. If she keeps this up, how can she hope to live a peaceful life?
Having said all that needed to be said, Angelica left.
***
Angelica’s words were like knives that cut deep, leaving Olivia in shock.
“I-I… What should I…?” she stammered.
Only recently had she truly understood that a duke’s daughter ranked significantly higher than other young noblewomen. She had difficulty grasping the more intricate details of the noble hierarchy and its conventions, given that she interacted little with the other girls at school. And whenever she brought up Angelica, Julius and the boys were cagey.
“If I ask Prince Julius or his friends what to do, I’ll only further infuriate Miss Angelica. So what am I to do? If I’m not careful, people back home will be in danger.”
The other girls had warned her about that time and again. She could hear their voices now, like phantoms in her mind. If she angered Angelica, the duke could mobilize his entire army, enveloping her village in a sea of flames.
“No! it’s too terrifying!” she cried, envisioning it. “Someone—anyone—please help me!”
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